McCarthy's 'Road' warriors: 2929, Dimension

Empty

Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban's 2929 Prods. is gearing up for an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Road."

Dimension Films is in final negotiations to distribute the apocalyptic thriller in North America.

The film, based on McCarthy's 2006 best-seller, centers on a father who walks alone with his son through a ravaged postwar American landscape in search of civilization. While Viggo Mortensen has been attached to play the lead role, no deal is in place, and his participation had not been decided by press time.

John Hillcoat ("The Proposition") will direct from a script adapted by Joe Penhall. Marc Butan, Wagner and Cuban will exec produce through 2929, and Nick Wechsler ("North Country"), Steve Schwartz and Paula Mae Schwartz will serve as producers. The feature is scheduled to begin production in January, and 2929 will handle all international sales and distribution.

"Road" was the April 2007 Oprah's Book Club selection, gaining McCarthy an even broader audience. His 2005 crime thriller "No Country for Old Men" recently was adapted for the screen by the Coen brothers for Miramax and Paramount Vantage. His 1992 novel "All the Pretty Horses" was brought to the screen by director Billy Bob Thornton and Miramax and Columbia in 2000.

"Cormac McCarthy is simply one of the most admired, talented and respected authors of his generation, and 'The Road' is one of his masterworks," Dimension's Bob Weinstein.

2929 had the biggest sale in Festival de Cannes history when James Gray's "We Own the Night" was picked up by Columbia for $11.5 million. Upcoming 2929 features include Barry Levinson's comedy "What Just Happened?" with Art Linson Prods. and Tribeca Prods. for Warner Bros. and Guillermo Arriaga's "The Burning Plain," starring Charlize Theron, with Parkes/ MacDonald Prods.

Dimension is riding high from Mikael Hafstrom's Stephen King adaptation "1408" and Rob Zombie's Labor Day Weekend record-breaking remake "Halloween," both released through MGM. Building on its "Scary Movie" and "Spy Kids" franchises, the Weinstein Co. genre arm's upcoming films include Frank Darabont's "Stephen King's the Mist."

Michelle Krumm identified the project on behalf of Dimension Films. Michael Cole, Krumm and Michal Podell are negotiating on behalf of Dimension. John Sloss and Dan Steinman of Cinetic Media are representing 2929 in negotiations.